Of san francisco



y 24 l 27 G. o. wlLsoN TANK GAUGING DVIGE Filed Nov. 10. 1924 Strom up Patented May 24, 1927.

Legea-5s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE OgWILSON, lOF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, 'BY MSNE ASSIGN# MENTS, TO STANDARD OIL COMPANY OF'CALIFORNIA, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALI- FORNIA, A CORPORATION OF l)llLAVlj-KRE.v

TANK-GAUGING DEVICE.

y i N.Application filed November Thisinvention relates toa tank gaugingdeviceand is more particularly directed to an apparatus for measuring the liquid height or volumetric contents of a tank by means of a float connected to a suitable register positioned at any vconvenient point-on,l the exterior of the tank. y 1

The lusual method of determining the volume ofoil in a tank has been to drop a Weighted tape, through a hatch in the roof, to the bottom of the tank and then read the tape at themark left bythe oil. Having thus found the height in feet and inches, it is necessary to use tables to ,convertV the reading into the units desired to express the contents of the tank, in terms of volume, gallons, barrels, etc. This method -involves considerable timegand depends to a certain eX- tent on theskill of the operator. y Butit has become particularly objectionable in vievvV of the recent development of gas-tight tanks.

This type of tank reducesevaporation materially and gives added fire protection; involvingy a gas-tight roof, it` makes the hatch for gauging ang undesirable i feature.

An object of this invention is, therefore, to devise a mechanism or gauging apparatus which will indicate from the ground, by means of a registering device, thetankcontents directly in gallons, barrels, or :other desired units. i

An object of this invention is to,V provide means Vfor indicatingy the volume of liquid in a tank or oil container having a gas-tight tank roof. f u

An object of this yinventionis to provide means for indicating thevolume of liquid in a tank or oil container, such as afloat for determining the position ofthe liquid surfacewand a` mechanism for.' translating the motion of the float to an indicatingy device locatedoutsidel the container and an adjusting mechanism to coordinate the reading of the indicator with the positionof the float. l

Other objectsand advantages of lthis invention Will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred yembodiment thereof as illustrated in the drawings. vj In the drawings:v v

Figure l is a fragmental sectional side elevation of a tankillustrating anjembodiment of this invention for use in measuringlthe Acontents thereof.V ,FigureQ is afragmental side elevation of 1o, 19,24.` .seriai No. 748,825.

the tank and registering'device embodied in this invention. Y y c Figure 3. is a fragmentalsectional end elevation of the cable Winding mechanism, embodied in this invention, taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Figure 2. u r Figure 4t is a plan view of the tioat emf bodied in this invention, taken substantially on the line 4-.4L of Figure l.

Figure is a sectional end elevation of the register embodied in` this invention, taken substantially on the line 5 5 of lFigure2.

In the drawings, l indicates a tank formed of a cylindrical shelllia'ving a bottom 2 and preferably a gas-tight tank roof 3, contain ingtliquid which it is desired to gauge. 'yA float 5, adapted to ride on the surface .of the liquid, is guided by means of cables 6, which cables 6 are spaced apart and secured at their lupperlends to theroof or a. strap 4, and at their lower ends to the member 7 which member -7 may be part of the VAiioor or tank. The cables 6 are secured to and stretched between eyes 6@ which are secured to the strap 4 and floor 7 in any desirable or preferred manner. The cables 6 .pass through ears'8 of the float 5. The float ,5 is connected to amovable cable 9 which passes through guide pulleys l0 and ll'and Winds upon'. angrooved drum 1Q, Which is rigidly connected to a shaft 13 supported by a bracket letinside of the tank l containing the liquid. .The motion of the lioat 5 being transmitted to the drum lQ-turns shaft 13 whichpasses through a stu'liing box l5 to the outside of the tank or `container and is connected to a registering device 1G which indicates the height of theliquid in the tank and by means of asuita-ble proportioningl of the various J parts, may bemade to indicatev the quantity of liquid in tlietank.` The pull of the float `5 isresisted by a Weight 17 connected to a Vcable 27 Winding on a drum 2S which drum some other suitable means connected to the wound upon the drum 12 without danger of the same tangling up on the drum 12, the helical groove 12 acting as a guide for the cable Q e .l

Means fire provicled for supporting shaft 13 with drums 12 and 28 preferably as follows:

The bracket 14 may be made ofany suitable metal, such as cast iron or brass, and is secured to the side or shell ofthe tank 1 by means of cap screws 18, or other suitable means, and may be integral with the stuflin'g box 15. The bracket 111 supports the shaft 13 in two bearings 19, illustrated in the drawings as ball b arings, but which may be any other low friction bearing. The shaft 13 is reduced in cross section where it' passes through the stuffing box 15 in order that the friction may be'reducedL toa minimuin.

One or more flexible coiuilings may be introduced to guard against sticking due to imperfect alignment of the \f'arious bearings. Connected to the end of the shaft 13 on the outside of the tank 1 by means ofa suitable coupling member 21, is a registering ydevice 16, which preferably consists of a train of gears 22 supported on suitable shafts 23 Vand 23 in an appropriate housing 241, which train of gears 22 is coupled to the shaft 13 by means of any suitable coupling device 21 as previously described. The last gear 25 of the train of 'gears 22 is mounted on the shaft 2G of a counting device of the star and pin or Veeder type, or other suitable indicating mechanism.

The diameter of the winding drum 12, together with thefratio ofthe gear train 22 determines the signih'cance of the reading on the register 16 and theyare adjusted to cause the register 1G to indicate the correct liquid level in the container in any desired unit of measure. y

Such a gauging device as heretofore described, may be Vapplied to aA gas-tight container and will produce 'accurate readings since the only motion translated throughthe stuffing bo-x 15 is `the rotary motion of the small diameter shaft 1&3. There the float cable 9 is brought to the outside of the tank it found impossible to make an ordinary stufiing box tight without imposing excessive friction which causes the gauge to read inaccurately. Moreover, the reading of the gauge as indicatedon the register 1G is direct and independent of the observer, since the quantity or height of the'liquid in the container Ais indicated 'in a straight row of plain figures and the reading` requires no manipulation on `the ypart of the observer. All the movable parts inside of the tank are frequentlyor continuously immersedi'in oil and so are lubricated and protected from cor`r0- sion. Also the only opening in the tank is normally below the oil level. where leakage may be immediately detected, whereas if the opening were inthe gas space, considerable leakage might take place without detection. The tank is filled with oil through any suitable connection that may be connected to the tank at `any point desired as is lwell understood in theart.

Itis vfrequentlythe case 'where oil is stored .in containers that a layer of water exists in the bottom of the container, the oil resting on the top of the water. It may also be true that some other liquid material heavier than the oilv might accumulate or be present in the bottom of the tank. 1n 4order to ascertain thev true volume of oil in cases of this'sort it is necessary to determine the depth of the water or other liquid material that may exist below `the oil; or toknow where the dividing surface -is, between the oil Vand such heavier liquid. By the methods of tank'l gauging heretofore practiced it is sometimes difficult to determine where this dividing surface exists; andl consequent attending ditiicultyis met in determining the volume of oil to be measured. i By the use of a float having a density such that it will ride at 'the dividing surface between the oil and any heavier liquid material which may exist in the bottom of the tank, it will be apparent that the invention which I have described herein can be used to accurately determine the volume of oil that .may rest thereon. It will be'obvious from the foregoing description that the float 5 rises or falls on the surface of the liquid 'within Ithe tank that the registeringdevice 1G will be actuated to indicate the position of the float within the tank, the regulating device being so connected with the float 5 that the same will indicate directly the quantity of liquid within the tank.

Oil is often stored 4-in `a tank over water and the provision of a float of a density lcalculated so that the said float will ride upon or substantially Vat the dividing surface be tween the oil and waterwithin the tank enables me to register orI indicate the quantity lor Volume of water within the tank, and knowing the quantity of water and oil in the tank, I am enabled to directly and easily .determine the volume of oil in the tank. -The making of a float of such adensity that thesame will ride 'upon the surface of the water or the `dividing line between the surface' of the oil and the water may be easilv done byl determining the gravity of the oil within the tank,v and knowing the gravity 'of water within thetank, the density of t-he o'at may be made such that the same will ride 'upon the surface of the water in the tank but will sink through the oil within the tank.

It will also beapparent that my invention is particularly well adapted for use Where a tank may have a roof which floats on'the surface ofthe contained liquid and which, thereforef rises andl falls as A'the volume of liquid varies within lthe tank or container.

scribed to an indicating'device, will be apparent.

Having fully described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that it is not intended to 'limit the scope of the invention to the .exact construction, or the use herein set forth, which may obviously be varied within the kspirit of the appended claims.

I claim: is 1. In a sealed tank, a liquid gauge comprising a float, means for guiding the movement of the float, a drum located within the tank below the normal liquid surface, leXi-' ble means for connecting the` drum to the' float, said latter means being so arranged as to permit the float to descend below the drum, means for holdingv said connecting means in tension, a shaft, and a registering device located outside of the tank and connected to the drum by means of the shaft,

a stufling box through which the Vshaft eX- j tends, said shaft being rotary motion only. s Y

2. A liquid gauge comprising a float mounted within a container, means for guiding the float vertically, a drum having adapted to transmit a lielicalperipheral guide groove, means for supporting the drum at a point within the container below the normal liquid level in the said container, a cable adapted yto be vwound on the said drum in the helical pe ripheral guide groove, the said cable being secured to the said float, a shaft to which the said drum is secured, means secured to the said shaft formaintaining the said cable under uniform tension, av registering device Ylocated outside of the said container, means for connect-ing the said shaft with the said register, and a stuffing boX through which the said shaft extends from the said container. f

Signed at San Francisco, California, this 30th of October, 1924.

GEORGE O. WILSON. 

